If you're willing to go older and high-mileage, you can score a DL650 for under $3k with some patience. I paid less than $3k for my '04 last year and would do it again without a second thought.

If you're going single-cylinder, I vote for the DR with an aftermarket tank, and this is coming from someone who owns a KLR. The DR is better off-road and not that much worse on-road except for its lack of fuel. Add more gas and the DR is clearly the better bike if you ride a fair bit of dirt.

Thanks for the input so far. The struggle I'm having is whether to buy a bike for the riding I WANT to do, or one for the riding I ACTUALLY do. I was mostly satisfied with my TA, and had plans to make it better (XRR forks, etc). The TA was definitely more comfortable around town compared to the DR. I had it on some dirt roads and felt it handled well, but I never got the chance to play in much dirt before it was stolen.

I did look at KTMs but they seemed to be all more than I wanted to spend. I forget which model it was, but there were a lot more of the SM version but not many of the EXC version. They're not as common around here as they are other places. I'll have to get on SearchTempest later and look at Husa's and Husky's.

It's time to replace my Funduro.. But I'm looking more at the supermoto's.Bigger horsepower, less weight,six speeds. Some even ride by wire.
I'm between a Husky 510 or an Aprillia dorso 750.
The downside to these is range. but I'm in New england where there is gas available every five miles or so. Even in the sticks.

In what states does the federal goverment have anything to do with vechile registration?

Oh because I've never ever seen any street plated XR's running.

99.9% of the time, if you get a bike with a title you're good to go.

Maybe you live in California or some other state with crazy retarded vechile laws.

I would be very careful making assumptions like this. Most states are getting more strict about what they will plate. Even in states where they used to plate everything like VT they are now pulling tags on bikes never meant for road use. In RI where i live they are also much more vigilant. How do I know? I bought a very nice XR400R that had the baja kit including horn and directionals, it was plated in Maine and had a current registration. I had a title that was signed over to me, bill of sale, copy of the owner's registration and went to DMV, three times. I could not get the bike registered nor would they even issue me a title so I could resell it. The reason they gave was that the bike was not manufactured for street use and showed me a book they use that has the VIN codes and if a motorcycle was meant for road use or not. I ended up trading for another bike but gave full disclosure to the buyer that they would not be given a title in RI nor would they be able to register it. Unfortunately, most states are going to continue to adopt these types of policies, it is just a matter of time. My advice to anyone trying to do something like this is to UNDERSTAND your state laws and not ASSUME because you have seen off-road bike plated that you can do that too. Hell, they might have a plate off another bike because they couldn't get it plated to begin with. Good luck and make sure you know the laws you will need to deal with.

I did look at KTMs but they seemed to be all more than I wanted to spend. I forget which model it was, but there were a lot more of the SM version but not many of the EXC version. They're not as common around here as they are other places. I'll have to get on SearchTempest later and look at Husa's and Husky's.

Take a closer look at them.

You want a 690 Enduro or a 640 Adventure. The adventures are getting a bit old now, but maybe you're better off with a late model adventure than an early model 690. The 690 is a better bike, but it had a few teething issues the first year or two.

Stay clear of the EXC's, as they are racing engines and have the reliability expected of a bike that needs to be serviced almost as often as you throw a leg over it. And stay clear of the big v-twin's, because they're big and heavy.

My dad and brother both ride transalps, they're a great bike. And I rode almost 60,000km on my XR and have now done just as many km's on my KTM 690. It is, in my opinion, the perfect bike if you only want to own a single bike (both my dad and brother have a transalp *and* a second smaller bike. I only have one bike, and it's done everything from single track to iron butt to commuting).

It's as reliable as any of the bikes you listed (in my experience, YMMV)

it's way more powerful than any of them

it's also lighter than most of them. Not as light as the kickstart only XR, but it feels lighter when riding because of better weight distribution

it handles better off road

and it handles better on road*

it's generally more fun to ride

luggage options aren't as good as the transalp/klr, but with a bit of research you can find a good set of paniers

it's better in the city too, great fuel economy, well mannered if you can resist 3rd gear wheelstands past unmarked cop cars. Instant power in any gear for evading crazy cage drivers.

* long distance trips will require a different seat and windscreen, both are available as OEM parts and third party parts

Sounds like a decent bike. Unfortunately, I just did a quick run through search tempest, and other than the LC4 w/ no spark that I referenced above, all the 640s and 690s are either way out of my price range or SMCs(these are too much $$$ also). I searched all the way out to 1000 miles. Like I said earlier, if I buy a bike from that far away, it's going to be another TA.

Sounds like a decent bike. Unfortunately, I just did a quick run through search tempest, and other than the LC4 w/ no spark that I referenced above, all the 640s and 690s are either way out of my price range or SMCs(these are too much $$$ also).

I guess. I think you just need to keep an eye out until a good deal pops up. And the longer you wait, the more money you'll have saved up. :-)

Figured I'd dig this thread up and update it. I ended up using the insurance money for some bills and a missions/graduation trip to India in January. (Where a brand new 150cc commuter can be had for $1100). That put the bike purchase off till tax time. I ended up with another TA. I found one 8 hrs away for $1500. It's rough around the edges and the mileage is high @68k, but still runs well and the Corbin seat makes it even comfier than my last one.

I was seriously looking at an XRR, but the owner decided not to sell, and there was a completely kitted DR only 3 hrs away., but I spent $1500 less and got the TA instead. No LC4s in my price range (3500) and search radius. Either no one in TX buys KTMs, or they keep them forever.

You are providing information which is inaccurate for an ever-increasing number of states in the US.

The XR650R was NEVER certified as street legal. The Feds are using a VIN database
to detect motorcycles which have been registered when the law, if adhered to, would have prohibited
such registration. Bikes which lack a VIN which correlates with EPA and DOT certification
will not be street legal in a growing number of states, and no kit from Baja Designs will
change this.

I just love advice from people like you, who have no idea what they are talking about.
What you wrote will lead some people into a mess of legal hassles which cannot be resolved,
if they are foolish enough to believe your erroneous information, and they will end up with
a bike which cannot be used legally on the road.

Best to buy a bike that was street legal from the manufacturer, and avoid trying to
beat the system. If you don't believe what I wrote above, spend some time on Google and
ask the people at your local DMV. We are in the 21st century now, and computers
are going to make gaming the system impossible for the average person. So the
XR650R will be a trailer-only bike, which is not what most people want when they are
in search of a dual sport or enduro bike.

.

This is very true in SOME states but will likely not affect people living in most of the core western states aside from CA. There are plenty of plated XRR and other dirtbikes that never got DOT and they're not being de-plated anywhere that I've heard of except CA due to the economic hippy fascism there.

__________________
I have a feeling that there are some decisions being made on certain teams lately to make things more complex in order to ensure a certain technological standard of confusion is met.